The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday passed a resolution by a vote of 124 to 14 with 43 abstentions denying Israel’s right to self-defense against terrorism in the West Bank, Gaza, and east Jerusalem.
Operating on the basis of an International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion, the UNGA declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal.
Israelis as well as Diaspora Jews are rolling their eyes and downplaying this, but they should not. This is a big conclusion with consequences that cannot be shoved under the rug.
The UNGA resolution demands that Israel withdraw to pre-1967 lines within 12 months and encourages member states not to sell arms to Israel for use in these territories.
While Israel may not give too much weight to United Nations decisions and proclamations due to their blatant anti-Israel stance, the world sees the UN as a unifying place for international consensus – for voices to be heard. Decisions by this body are well-received and respected.
Therefore, a UN decision that creates animosity toward Israel is something to dread – and even fear – not scoff at and turn the other cheek.
The harm the UN decision causes
First of all, this spotlights the ICJ’s call on Israel, which caused a ruckus for a period before slowly dying out. Now, the backing of the UNGA has increased its value on the international stage.
It is also absolutely unprecedented for the UN to advocate for a boycott of any products, not to mention Israeli products from beyond the pre-1967 lines.
In the past, UNGA resolutions have led to legislative action on member states’ parts.
Resolutions are declaratory and not legally binding; nevertheless, they provide international backing for potential actions made by member states – and that is what Israel should be concerned about the most.
All of these decisions – boycotts, arms embargoes, and more – may have actionable consequences that could severely harm Israel’s ability to defend itself and its already-suffering economy.
Israel’s military offensive at this point is beyond defense; some argue that it is a preventative measure, so that Hamas cannot rise up to the power it reached on October 7, but still, that is not an act of self-defense.
The weapons we currently receive are being used for the action in the West Bank and Gaza.
Now imagine that we not only could not carry that out anymore – which, by the way, cannot go on forever – but we could not even defend ourselves properly in the case of another October 7.
That will be our reality if Israel does not, in some capacity or to some extent, comply with the UN’s demands. We will lose international military support and we will be highly susceptible to irreversible damage to our people.
That is not to say that I agree with all that the UN has said. The resolution does not mention Hamas, the October 7 attack, or the hostages in Gaza. That should be condemned in all ways possible.
It also places no requirements on Hamas or the Palestinians regarding attacks on Israel, making it essentially one-sided: Israel, do not do anything to harm the Palestinian people, even those among them that would see your civilians murdered, butchered, raped, and held hostage underground for months on end.
To an extent, it is hard to blame the UN for reaching these conclusions. It is, of course, unspeakable that they were so one-sided, but not that they condemned Israel.
After all, just last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that Israel’s lack of accountability for the killing of United Nations staff and humanitarian aid workers in Gaza is “totally unacceptable” – and he’s not wrong.
Israel's moral standing declines
According to the UN, nearly 300 humanitarian aid workers, more than two-thirds of them UN staff, have been killed during the conflict, So how does Israel – its government – think that the UN should react to such a situation?
When humanitarian aid workers are reported to be killed (whether Israel can confirm it or not) this lowers Israel’s moral standing even further in this drawn-out war.
We lose our argument for proportionality entirely and it effectively discredits the IDF’s claim of ethical high ground as the “world’s most moral army.”
Israel cannot turn away and ignore this, because turning our backs on it will leave us vulnerable – and in the end, it’ll bite us in the ass.
The writer is deputy editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post.